


Book 0: I'll Bury My Future Behind

by Larnise



Series: Set In Stone [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Asexual Character, Gen, panromantic character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:37:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21650161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larnise/pseuds/Larnise
Summary: A one-shot prequel to the Set In Stone series.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Set In Stone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560802
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Book 0: I'll Bury My Future Behind

The first time it happens, I'm in the middle of live-streaming a match. It's one of my “viewer's choice” streams, where I play whichever hero wins the majority vote of the viewers in between matches. This time, my viewers were feeling sadistic and made me play Mercy – aka, one of the characters I suck at.

“Y'all're jerks, y'know that?” I grouch as I die for the third time in thirty seconds. The chat lights up with their laughter. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Don't know why I put up with ya.” One response catches my eye.

**T0ul0u53 : Because you love us, silly.**

“Do I, Toulouse? Do I, really? Also, I've gotta ask – did ya name yourself after the Aristocats character?” I ask, dying for a fourth time.

**T0ul0u53 : Yes, yes I did.**

“That is excellent! I appreciate you, good sir or ma'am!” Laughter fills the chat, even as I die. _Again_. Before I can even leave the spawn point, though, the world starts shaking. A small shriek escapes me as I fall out of my desk chair, my headset getting yanked off and landing on my keyboard. Some of my figurines fall off the shelves behind me, though thankfully they land on my bed.

The shaking continues for about thirty seconds, and when it finally stops, I cautiously stand up. My webcam has fallen off the top of my monitor and is hanging off the edge of the desk, the cord the only thing keeping it from falling to the floor. I pick it up and put it back on the monitor, then get my headset back on and sit back down.

“Well, that was uh... that was weird. I think that was an earthquake?”

**ManOverboard : Aren't you in Oklahoma? I didn't know you got earthquakes there...**

“Yeah, neither did I. Usually we deal more with tornadoes, and sometimes floodin'. Earthquakes are new. I've read enough books to know there's probably gonna be aftershocks, though, so uh. That's fun.” I look back to the game and notice that my team lost sometime while I was on the floor. “Oh, damn it!” Laughter, again. I sit on the game mode selection screen to give them time to choose my next hero.

**Wrenly : So, who should we make her play this time?**

**K1ll3rQu33n : Let's have mercy on her. I vote Orisa.**

**RiotInTheSheets : Yeah, seconded. All in favor?**

The chat lights up with votes in the affirmative, so I grin and move on.

~~~

The fourth time it happens, I'm eating dinner with the twins. Dad's shift at work is running long, and Mom is still on that business trip of hers, so it's just the three of us, with a foil wrapped bowl ready in the fridge for Dad to heat up whenever he gets home. Kate is telling us about a boy at school who won't leave her alone.

“Y'know, if ya need me to beat 'im up, you can just tell me,” Trevor teases. Kate shakes her head, grinning.

“Naw, if I wanted 'im beat up, I'd go ta Sophie. We all know you'd break a fingernail and start cryin' 'stead,” she teases back. I snort, rolling my eyes and stuffing more shepherd's pie in my mouth to avoid responding.

Of course, that's the moment the earthquake starts. Half choking on my food, I motion the twins under the table, only taking a moment to grab my phone off the top of it before joining them. We all huddle together, and I carefully make sure I'm above them.

It goes longer this time than any of the ones before, lasting almost a full minute. My phone starts ringing a few moments after it finally stops. I check the caller ID and answer it.

“Hey, Dad. We're all fine, we got under the table. I'll walk through the house in a few minutes and check everythin',” I say.

“Don't worry about that. Long as y'all are alright. Stay near the table, get back down there when the aftershocks hit. I'll do a walk through when I get home. I've gotta get back to work, though. Love you guys,” he responds. I smile.

“Love you, too.” We hang up, and I pass his instructions (and his love) on to the twins.

~~~

The eleventh time it happens, it's the middle of the night and we're all sound asleep. The shaking is what wakes me up, but I just groan, pull my covers up higher, roll over, and fall back asleep.

In the morning all I really remember is a thought I had as I did that: “If I die tonight, so be it. At least I'll die comfy.” I share that over breakfast, just to watch my fellow Gen Z siblings giggle and my Baby Boomer parents look outraged.

~~~

By the twenty-third time it happens, everyone's used to it. I'm giving a tour to the incoming freshmen, which includes the twins. We're in the cafeteria, having lunch.

“So, what d'y'all think so far?” I'm asking them but also the gaggle of friends sitting around them.

“It's so much bigger than I thought it'd be! I don't know how I'm ever gonna find my classes,” Kate comments.

“Hey, most of us upperclassmen are pretty helpful when it comes to that, you can always ask us, y'hear? And for the first week or so, none of the teachers issue tardies to the freshmen, long as you arrive sometime in the first half of class. They know what's what,” I reassure her.

“Hey, I just think it's cool we're getting a tour from the famous Skyehawk herself!” a boy comments. I grin and shake my head.

“You a fan, then, Warren?” I ask. He grins back and nods enthusiastically.

“Yeah, I actually comment on all your streams! You might have noticed it...” he trails off, cocking his head at me like a goddamn puppy. I think about it for a second. He would just tell me his tag if it wasn't something I could figure out. It takes me longer than I care to admit, but I do figure it out.

“Warren Puttley. Wrenly, s'that you?” I ask.

“Yep! In the flesh.” He does a silly little bow, with a silly little flourish of his hand. Except he slaps the table in the process, stubbing his fingers. “Ow!” Several people snort, a few breaking out into giggles.

The giggling is cut off by the newest earthquake. I stand up and call out before anyone can panic.

“Alright everyone, under the tables!” They all scramble to obey, my fellow student guides ushering their groups down before joining them. The shaking goes on, and on, and on, and I'm the first one to notice the cracks forming in the walls.

My next few thoughts zoom by almost too fast for me to catch. These tables can protect us from objects falling over, but they won't hold if the building collapses. We need to get out – and the doors are so far away.

“Mrs. Tan!” I shout, catching her eye and motioning to the growing cracks. She goes pale, but nods.

“Everyone, we need to evacuate! Student guides, stay close to your groups, keep track of everyone. I don't want anyone unaccounted for, y'hear me?” she shouts. A chorus of “yes ma'am”s is the response, and we start ushering the kids out toward the doors.

Trevor trips and falls, so I grab him by the arm and lift him, half dragging him as the rest of the group runs ahead. They push the doors open, and Kate and Wrenly hold them for everyone to go by.

I hand Trevor off to Kate and take her place holding the door. Justin, one of the other student guides, takes Wrenly's place and pushes the younger boy out the door to join the others gathering around Mrs. Tan in the parking lot. She's eyeing us uneasily, and I can tell she's counting heads and watching the building at the same time.

“Help!” comes a voice from inside. I turn sharply and see that one young girl has somehow gotten pinned under a table, her clothes caught on something.

“Shit, keep holding that door!” I tell Justin. He nods, eyes wide, and I dash in, sliding down next to the girl. “Hey, ya need to stay calm, alright? Can ya do that for me, sweet pea?” She nods, breathing deeply. “Alright, good. What's your name?” I ask, eyeing where her pant leg is pinned under the table leg. It's too heavy for her to lift off of herself, so I brace my back against it and slowly stand up, using my whole body to lift the table.

“Savannah,” she answers, pulling her leg out. I let the table drop once she's clear, and we crawl out together.

“Okay, Savannah, good. Now, we need to run, alright?” I tell her. She nods, and I take her hand as we dash back toward Justin.

As we run, I notice the ceiling has started to crack, and small pieces are falling down around us. I get behind Savannah and shove her, hard. She falls into Justin, and they both fall out the door.

The ceiling finally collapses just as they get clear.


End file.
